Never Say GoodBye
by tir-synni
Summary: Alphonse wanted to put the wrong things right.


Title: Never Say Good-Bye  
Characters: Alphonse, Edward, Roy  
Warnings: Adult content, graphic content, horror  
Rating: R  
Summary: Alphonse tries to make the wrong things right.

Never Say Good-Bye

"This is the best array I've ever done," Alphonse Elric murmured in awe, staring at the basement floor. Usually, he had difficulty with the larger arrays. The small ones, the ones he had used in battle, could be drawn swiftly and accurately at a moment's notice. The larger, more intricate arrays tended to trouble him, and he always tried to leave them for Brother.

At the thought of his brother, Alphonse's face darkened for a moment. Then he smiled sweetly. Brother would be proud of him for this.

Several voices shouted his name, and Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Just a moment, please!" he called, doing his damnedest to keep his voice mild and polite. It was harder than he thought. Perhaps that was why Brother was always so testy. People kept interrupting his important work.

With a satisfied sigh, Alphonse kneeled before the array. He quickly surveyed it with sharp eyes. Now was not the time for mistakes. Too much was at stake.

The voices grew louder, now combined with crackles and pounding. Alphonse bit back an uncharacteristic growl. Didn't they understand? He was just trying to put things right! Wasn't that the point of alchemy? If a pot broke, it could be fixed with a quick array and a flash of light. Alchemy was supposed to make the wrong things right!

How could there be a greater wrong than this?

"Just a moment!" he repeated loudly, allowing a little of his annoyance to creep through. Not much. When his brother got back, he wanted him to know his little brother had been good while he was gone.

Steady hands rested on the array, and Alphonse beamed. This would be easy! No different from any other alchemy. He could turn back time with this, so it'll be like nothing ever happened!

No flowers . . .

No tears . . .

No blood . . .

No sad, sad eyes . . .

"You'll see, Brother," Alphonse whispered, closing his eyes. "We'll be a family again."

"**_ALPHONSE!" _**General Mustang screamed. Alphonse could hear him thundering down the stairs.

He was too late.

The alchemy array exploded with light. Alphonse could hear the shrieks of the soldiers, but he ignored them. It was their own fault for busting in when he very clearly and very distinctively told them to stay out of it. He could feel tendrils of energy snaking through the room, wrapping around the various bodies in the room. Most importantly, Alphonse could feel the energy radiating from the limp figure in the middle of the room.

"Brother—" Alphonse choked out. He could hear Mustang screaming behind him, and Alphonse's gentle face twisted into a snarl. He hadn't screamed then. Could the bastard only scream for himself? Only Alphonse had screamed that day. Even Brother hadn't screamed.

Finally, the room fell silent, and Alphonse slumped forward, drained. Only a light crackle signaled the use of alchemy. All he could hear was his own breathing.

"Al . . . phonse?"

Alphonse's hazel eyes shot open. "Brother!" he cried out.

Unnaturally dark eyes stared at Alphonse from the center of the room. Slowly, unsteadily, the slender figure stood. Alphonse beamed and pushed himself up. It had worked! It had worked! "Brother!"

Edward Elric swayed in the middle of the room, bare feet soaked in blood. It painted his white skin, as it painted the various uniforms sprawled across the room. Alphonse barely noticed, enraptured by that beloved face.

Brother's face was blank, but at least it had lost that pain and resignation from before. Alphonse's lips trembled as he held out his arms. "Brother," he repeated, lost in the magnificence of that one word.

Of course he would be able to bring Edward back! Edward Elric wouldn't die like that! Everything would be okay now!

Edward stumbled a little as he slipped in some blood, and Alphonse scrambled to his feet. "Please, please be careful!" he urged, gently taking the slender figure into his arms. He barely noticed when his brother stiffened. "I'll take care of you now, Brother. You don't need to worry about a thing."

He felt a pang of remorse as he noted Mustang's glassy eyes staring at him from the stairway. Then he noticed the formaldehyde stained blanket in the middle of the room and hardened himself. The bastard hadn't gotten there in time. Mustang had read the notes, seen the bloodstains on them, and he had still not done enough. Mustang earned what he had gotten. At least his death had been better than Edward's had been.

No. No. Edward hadn't died. Brother was fine and in his arms. The only floor he had been on recently was the basement's. The only blood that had touched him was that of those traitorous bastards. Alphonse sighed contentedly and held Brother closer. His brother was as alive and _pure_ as he ever was.

"Al . . . phonse." While Edward's voice was still shaky, it held a little more assurance than earlier. Alphonse nuzzled the golden locks.

_"Al . . . phonse," Edward groaned, sprawled in Al's metal arms. Al whimpered, feeling all eyes on them and hating the soldiers for seeing his brother in this state. _

"I'm here," Al said aloud, as he had said then. Edward seemed so _cool_! Worriedly, Alphonse began rubbing at his arms.

"I—" Edward mumbled against his neck.

_"—am sorry," the golden alchemist had wheezed. Blood pooled under him, staining Al's loincloth. The youth's automail arm had been torn off, but the flesh one touched Al's face. Alphonse thought he heard moaning behind him. He concentrated on those bloody fingers moving in an oddly familiar gesture over his armored flesh. "This . . . this is all I can do for you. Please . . . please don't . . . remember me . . . this way . . ." _

" . . . I . . ." Edward sighed, and Alphonse smiled warmly as he felt his brother's hands against his back.

_Alchemy had lit up the storage room. The first thing Alphonse could feel in five years was his brother's icy body and the blood and cum against his knees._

" . . . can't forgive," Edward finished, and Alphonse froze as pain ripped through his back. He jolted backwards, staring into alien eyes. Only hatred shone in those sunken eyes. "Hate living. _Hate living!_"

Alphonse screamed.

_"His soul," General Mustang said blankly, staring at Edward's body in Alphonse's flesh arms. "He had sacrificed his soul."_


End file.
